


a simple summer of surfing

by eliottslocket



Category: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston
Genre: Everyone Is Gay, Gay Panic, Henry is so In Love, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, POV Henry, Summer Romance, Surfing, alex teaches henry how to surf, henry can't surf for shit, henry listens to blur not oasis, pez and henry are best friends, pez is biromantic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-19 11:41:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29998824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eliottslocket/pseuds/eliottslocket
Summary: Henry can't surf but he accepts an invitation to go on holiday with Alex to the beach. Henry loves spending time with Alex, but he feels like it is his fault they've grown apart in the last year. Henry is hoping his crush on Alex doesn't get even more obvious now that Alex is teaching him how to surf.
Relationships: Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, June Claremont-Diaz/Nora Holleran
Comments: 4
Kudos: 7





	a simple summer of surfing

**Author's Note:**

> i had this surfing idea whilst watching point break, but it took me so long to sit down and start writing i've forgotten the entire plot of the movie. anyways i'm posting this now because it is of course, Henry's birthday (i miss him a shit tonne). more importantly it's Aimee's birthday, so this is for her and i hope she doesn't hate this. there will be more chapters and also sorry if the last sentences are cringe but i wanted to round this chapter off nicely.

‘Henry’  
‘Henry! Wake up’  
I bat my eyelids to see Pez just about to throw a pillow in my face.  
‘fuck off’ I say as he pulls off my duvet.  
‘Alex made breakfast, and it’s pancakes so hurry up or I’ll eat yours’  
I didn’t even know Alex could cook. In all fairness Alex didn’t really seem like the type.

Sun was flitting through the blinds of the room I was sharing with Pez. I can smell the fresh sea air and sizzling bacon and I can hear Nora and June attempting to speak in hushed tones in their room.

I’ve been staying with Alex, Pez, Nora and June for a week now. The house belongs to Alex’s mum and it’s the perfect distance to walk to the beach but at the same time it is enough off the beaten track that I don’t feel watched or followed by anyone from the general public. So far, it’s been a good break from life in London. Pez and I were invited by June and Nora for 2 weeks of beach vacation and surfing. Pez loved the idea. At first, I felt a bit more reluctant to accept because I can’t surf, I hate the heat and I hate when sand gets stuck in between my toes but I do enjoy spending time with Nora and June. The main reason I had finally been persuaded to come was the fact I could spend time with Alex. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say I liked Alex. 

I knew I was gay from quite a young age; Bea and I always joke that I’m even gayer than James the First. Unfortunately, he is not alive enough for us to have a competition about it. Quite early on though Bea told me what our grandma would think of me being gay, I know she was trying to protect me, but it hurt to hear it from her. My grandma frequently complained that the shows she watched on Netflix had too many ‘unnatural’ people doing ‘unnatural’ things. Bullshit. (I wonder just how quickly she would lose it if she watched ‘It’s a sin’.)  
Despite what my shitty grandmother says, she can’t actually stop me from thinking about him. Alex. Alex Clairemont Diaz. Dream Boy. The one who lives with me in my subconscious. Sometimes I like to think we were custom made for each other. 

I get up and walk into the kitchen. The atmosphere is relaxed, Nora and June are now curled up on the sofa, Alex is on his phone at the table next to Pez.  
‘Morning’ I say.  
‘Morning’ Alex looks up from his phone and smiles (his sweet as honey smile of course), ‘Pancakes are staying warm in the bottom oven’  
I murmur some thanks and shuffle over to the oven. All I can think of is Alex and his cute smile. However, I quickly return to the table and sit opposite Pez.  
‘So, what’s the surf going to be like today?’ Pez asks Alex.  
‘I think it’s good or at least it looked pretty good when I went on my walk this morning’  
‘That sounds good- now Henry probably doesn’t want to be exposed in this way, but he can’t even stand on his board, so we are going to have to help him out.’ Pez laughs and I flash him a quick ‘I’m going to strangle you’ smile.  
I thought it was funny enough when Pez laughed at me, because he is my best friend, but I didn’t want to be laughed at by Alex.  
Instead, Alex just flashes me a smile, ‘Yeah don’t worry we can sort you out’  
I swear I don’t imagine a wink. But then again, I am very tired, so I carry on putting maple syrup on my pancakes.  
‘Why can’t you make crepes? They are much more suited to my usual lemon and sugar topping’ I ask Alex sarcastically.  
‘Despite the French having a nice style, I try to not bow to European standards when I can’ He laughs.  
‘Ah shit let me get this’ Pez quickly got up from the table with his phone.  
Alex and I sit at the table eating in silence for a while.  
‘So, who is he on the phone to?’ Alex asks me with his mouth full.  
Classic Alex I think but it’s sort of sweet how he just forgets his table manners.  
‘His boyfriend, Darius.’  
‘He has a boyfriend?’ Alex lets his mouth hang open.  
‘Yeah, he is biromantic – I thought you knew’ I laugh. I’m still pretty envious that Pez can actually have a boyfriend and that it’s not a problem with his family.  
‘I didn’t know – well that makes me, him and Nora’  
I choke and splutter out my coffee. I try to act normal but instead I keep choking, at this point it’s too late to cover up my shock. I’d known Alex but I was only just finding out he was bi.  
‘You all right there?’ Alex comes round and slaps me on the back in a joke sort of way.  
‘Yeah fine’ I’m red with embarrassment. ‘I could’ve handled it myself but thanks.’  
Alex rolls his eyes.  
‘I’ll take it you thought I was straight.’  
I nod only turning redder by the moment. 

\----------------------

I’ve decided that I am going to try surfing for the first time this afternoon, but I still need to buy a wetsuit at the shop down the road. 

Alex agreed to come along with me after saying he was a wetsuit ‘expert’.  
I highly doubt he is, but it’s not like I can pick one successfully for myself and I like spending time with Alex. We stroll down the road together, it’s peaceful and sunny. We walk in silence, but I don’t think the silence was awkward but rather a silence of being lost in one’s thoughts. Alex broke up my thoughts.  
‘So, you genuinely have never been surfing before?’  
‘Surprisingly it isn’t listed as the same importance as Polo for a prince.’  
Alex laughs and his nose crinkles up, ‘Well I’m glad to be your teacher – it’s been ages since we’ve hung out together, you know just us.’ His voice trailing off at the end.  
‘Yeah, I suppose it has been but I’m here now so’  
I know it is my fault we’ve grown apart in the last year, I know Alex is right (as usual). It’s been ages since we’ve hung out together. Mostly because at the beginning I thought it would be easy to just stay friends and not reveal my gay little thoughts of romantic dates with him, but I got jealous of all the girls Alex took out on dates. I found it would be easier if I just drifted away from Alex and let our friendship fade away.  
I look at Alex whilst we walk once again in silence. His brown curls fall perfectly over his head and the way the sun bounces off his face is beautiful. I wish I hadn’t let him slip away. 

We arrive at the surf shop (it was really just a wooden hut with a sign) and make our way to the wetsuit aisle in the shop.  
‘Okay let’s start with colour, what colour do you want with the black?’  
‘Blue I think’  
‘Oh yes your highness Royal Blue’ Alex teases me.  
‘Shut up’ I roll my eyes and pick up the first blue and black wetsuit I can see.  
‘No – not that one, it’s a winter wetsuit it will take ages to dry and take you 10 minutes to put on it’s so thick’  
‘You pick one then’  
Alex walks off down the aisle and around the corner. He quickly returns with two other wetsuits.  
‘Right, this is a summer wetsuit you know, with short arms and short legs. This one is still a summer wetsuit kind of – it’s the same as that winter wetsuit just thinner.’  
‘I think I’ll try on the one that is like the winter wetsuit’  
‘But with the summer one you can show off your dashing figure and lovely legs to everyone’ Alex pulls a sulky face and I stick my tongue out at him. Once again, I am blushing. I quickly stare at the floor.  
‘Right off we go’ Alex shoves me into a changing room. ‘I’ll be waiting here so you can come show me the wetsuit’ 

The wetsuit feels tiny on me and it’s itchy against my neck.  
‘Are wetsuits supposed to be this tight?’ I call out to Alex.  
‘Please tell me you don’t need my help putting it on’ I can feel his eyes roll from here.  
‘No I’m done’ I step out of the changing room.  
‘Looking good’ Alex smiles, and I suddenly feel a bit faint in the heat of the shop but I smile back.  
He looks back at me surveying how the wetsuit looks on me. I really hope I look good in it,  
‘Okay just try squat down in that because if it is too tight then we will know’ Alex’s voice brings me back from my daydreams of him suddenly being overwhelmed by how dashing I am in a wetsuit and asking to be my boyfriend.  
After doing a set of exercises to check if the wetsuit was the perfect fit Alex decided it was good enough and we could finally pay and leave.

We walk back to the house and I’m in a surprisingly good mood compared to this morning, I’m almost looking forward to learning to surf with Alex. The afternoon sun in his face makes him look like some sort of Greek god with handsome tones of honeycomb flickering in his eyes.  
‘What are you looking at?’ Alex asks.  
‘Nothing really just thinking’ I reply, obviously lying.  
‘And what are you thinking about?’  
‘How nice the beach looks’ evidently another lie.  
‘We can go surfing once we get back if you want’  
‘Yeah, I’d like that’  
‘I’m looking forward to it’  
I smile at him like a fool, because that’s what I am. A fool that is hopelessly in love.

**Author's Note:**

> hope you liked it :)  
> \- the tv series 'It's a sin' came out earlier this year on all4 so please go watch it- it is amazing  
> \- all the references in the sentences after 'Dream Boy.' are of course a reference to the song Dream Boy by Waterparks (really hope you picked up on that aimee)


End file.
